"Three of the four NFL playoff games this weekend figure to be played in arctic conditions and the results could lead to the ultimate showdown — Green Bay at Chicago."                                 

                                                                               ~ Chris Erskine, LA Times

As football fanatics salivate in preparation of the second week of playoff football, Chris Erskine of the LA Times presents the possibility of the NFC championship game out-doing the Superbowl. He predicts the Packers to beat the Falcons and the Bears to beat the Seahawks, giving fans the chance to witness another January rivalry game in the tundra that will be nothing short of hard-hitting with a plethora of blood stained jerseys walking off the field in the end. Personally I do see the Packers overcoming the highly-touted Falcons but the Seahawks defeating the Bears, not allowing Erskine's duel to occur. To read the full article, click here.


Baltimore @ Pittsburgh... A hard-nosed rivalry, this one will be fought  hard on both sides, with plenty of blood and bone-breaking. Watch for hard hits by Harrison and Reed, two hungry veterans who know what it takes to win. Ray Lewis will be his usual self, riling his teammates and letting loose on blind-sighted tight ends, while Roethlisberger will find gaps in their vulnerable secondary and will take this one with a 20-17 win.





Green Bay @ Atlanta... With the week off Atlanta loses momentum. The Packers resemble the 2008 Giants who surged through the playoffs as the underdogs with a 10-6 record to beat the undefeated Patriots. The Packers are hungry, humble and ready to make noise. Aaron Rodgers will get routine pressure from John Abraham and the Atlanta defense but will elude it by scrambling as he does so well and finding Jennings consistently. Packers win by 10.




Seattle @ Chicago... Seahawks are on a roll and Chicago has a streaky offense and an overrated quarterback in Cutler. This picture resembles the face Mike Martz will have after seeing his quarterback face constant pressure and throw consistently wild chucks to his receivers. Seahawks win in their second upset of the playoffs, finally reaching .500 at 9-9. Win by 7.

New York @ New England... Jets have a chance to make a statement and Rex Ryan has them believeing, albeit talking too much (Cromartie). In the game of the week, there will be hard hits and emotions flying high. Jets win by 3 and propel themselves into the AFC Championship, having to face yet another elite team in the Steelers.